Parliament Question: Central Schemes for Urban Flood Mitigation in Guwahati

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1919 TO BE ANSWERED ON JULY 30, 2026 CENTRAL SCHEMES FOR URBAN FLOOD MITIGATION IN GUWAHATI NO. 1919 SHRI GAURAV GOGOI: Will the Minister of HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a) whether Guwahati is covered under any Central scheme for urban flood mitigation, if so, the details thereof and if not, the eligibility criteria set for its inclusion; (b) the total Central allocation for urban drainage and flooding infrastructure in Assam under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and Smart Cities Mission (SCM); (c) the steps taken to address wetland encroachment contributing to urban flooding in Guwahati; and (d) whether a dedicated urban flood mitigation fund for Tier-2 cities in the North-east is under consideration and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS (SHRI TOKHAN SAHU) (a): Management of urban flooding falls under the purview of the State Governments and the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)/ Urban Development Authorities, who are responsible for maintaining the drainage and sewerage system. Government of India supplements the efforts of the States through schematic interventions/ advisories. It provides financial and technical support to the States to strengthen Urban Planning ecosystem. The State Government of Assam has informed that Guwahati is covered under the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, under which ₹ 200 crore has been approved for implementation of the Urban Flood Risk Management …2/--2- Programme (UFRMP) in Guwahati city. Under the programme, 11 project components have been taken up covering both structural and non- structural interventions for urban flood mitigation. (b): Under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and AMRUT 2.0, States/ ULBs are supported through projects for storm water drainage, which involved construction and improvement of drains/ storm water drains in order to reduce and eliminate flooding, creating green spaces and parks and water body rejuvenation projects. The States/ Union Territories are empowered to select, appraise, prioritise and implement the projects within the broad framework of Mission guidelines. Under AMRUT, 13 green spaces and park projects worth ₹15.98 crore have been taken up by the State of Assam and 13.31 acres of permeable green space area have been developed through these projects, which include 3 park projects in Guwahati worth ₹5.11 crore covering 1.47 acres of area. Under AMRUT 2.0, proposals of the State for 31 water body rejuvenation projects worth ₹18.48 crore covering around 407.23 acres of area have been approved, which include 01 water body rejuvenation project worth ₹1.75 Crore in Guwahati covering 1.05 acre of area. The objective of Smart City Mission (SCM) was to follow an area-based development approach through retrofitting, redevelopment, greenfield development and a Pan-city initiative in which smart solutions are applied covering larger parts of the city, so as to create a replicable model. The cities under SCM were developed based on Smart City Proposals (SCPs) received from States/UTs, across various sectors, viz., smart mobility, Water Sanitation Hygiene (WASH), smart governance, smart energy, environment etc., approved by High Powered Steering Committee (HPSC) chaired by the Chief Secretary. Sector wise details in Assam are as under: …3/--3- Projects under Cost of Projects Sector SCM (₹in crore) Economic Infrastructure 7 53 Smart Energy 4 53 Smart Mobility 3 379 Vibrant Public Spaces 4 233 WASH 3 37 Grand Total 21 755 Under SCM since inception of the Mission, Assam state has been able to claim Central Financial Assistance of ₹490 Cr and the same has been utilized. With the closure of SCM on 31.03.2025, there is no provision to consider any new proposal under the Mission. The State Government has informed that under Guwahati Smart City Limited, 10 (ten) numbers of Drain Management equipment Super Sucker Machine has been procured and handed over to Guwahati Municipal Corporation at a total project cost of ₹25.74 Lacs. (c): The State Government of Assam has informed that to address wetland encroachment, the Government of Assam has enacted the Assam Urban Water Bodies (Preservation and Conservation) Act, 2024 and the Assam Urban Water Bodies (Preservation and Conservation) Rules, 2025, providing a statutory framework for the identification, notification, protection, rejuvenation and sustainable management of urban water bodies. Pursuant to the Act, the State Government has notified the Schedule of Urban Water Bodies within the Guwahati Master Plan Area, which presently includes Sarusola Beel, Borsola Beel, Silsako Beel, the water bodies near Deepor Beel and Bondajan, thereby providing them statutory protection against encroachment and other activities detrimental to their ecological and hydrological functions. The State Government has also taken up eviction drives to remove …4/--4- encroachments from wetland areas, particularly Silsako Beel, and has taken up the project "Rejuvenation and Bioremediation of Silsako Beel" at a cost of ₹237 crore under the scheme of Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India to restore the wetland and enhance its flood moderation and stormwater retention capacity, which inter alia contribute to the mitigation of urban flooding in Guwahati. (d): The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is the nodal authority for implementation of the Urban Flood Risk Management Programme (UFRMP). Based on the recommendations of the XV Finance Commission, an amount of ₹2,500 crore has been earmarked under the National Disaster Mitigation Fund (NDMF) for the Urban Flood Risk Management Programme (UFRMP) in 7 Most Flood-Prone Metro Cities for the period 2021–26. The programme extends to a phase – II that has an allocation of a total amount of ₹2444.42 crore. The Phase II (Tier-II Cities) of the programme extends to eleven additional cities which include Guwahati in the North Eastern region. *****